Mariners outfielder Victor Robles was ejected from Sunday’s rehab game for Triple-A Tacoma after throwing his bat at a pitcher who nearly hit him with a pitch.
Robles took offense to the first pitch he saw in the third inning (his second at-bat of the game) from Las Vegas right-hander Joey Estes. Robles swung at Estes’ up-and-in offering but was nearly clipped on the right shoulder by the pitch. He was replaced by outfielder Victor Labrada, who struck out.
The Seattle outfielder, rehabbing a dislocated left shoulder he suffered in April, initially dropped his bat but picked it back up and hurled it in Estes’ direction from near home plate. After being promptly ejected by home plate umpire Joe McCarthy, Robles gestured toward Estes and began heading for the mound, where McCarthy and Rainiers teammates held the outfielder back.
Robles had already been hit by a pitch three times in five rehab games for Tacoma, including twice on Tuesday (once by Estes). Last year in the Majors on Sept. 5, 2024, Robles was hit twice against the A’s, including once by Estes. The A’s have hit Robles with a pitch four times since the start of 2024.